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Recap: Our 800th Container Celebration!

On Tuesday, May 29th, MedShare shipped an ocean container of donated hospital beds and mattresses from our Southeastern warehouse to a healthcare facility in Haiti. The shipment marks our 800th container of medical supplies shipped to meet critical health needs, and a celebration of this milestone was in order! To commemorate the occasion, MedShare friends, family, volunteers, Board, and council members gathered at our facility for light refreshments, cake, fruit, and cheese. We were delighted to have a representative from each of our four sponsors of this shipment present – UPS, GE, Hill-Rom, and North Shore LIJ. We were also honored to have the Honorable Gandy Thomas from the Haitian Consulate present to see this shipment off to his native country.

“Our goal is to improve healthcare and the environment through the efficient recovery and redistribution of surplus medical supplies and equipment to those most in need,” said Meridith Rentz, CEO and President of MedShare. “Today is a significant milestone for us and demonstrates the tremendous impact organizations can achieve when they work together in partnership. MedShare’s collaborations with GE, Hill-Rom, North Shore LIJ and UPS are what made this 800th container and the impact it will have in Haiti a reality.”

The container contains 50 Hill-Rom hospital beds and mattresses, part of a 150 unit donation made by GE Capital and Hill-Rom. The beds, owned by GE Capital, were leased to North Shore-LIJ Health System, the second largest non-profit health system in the U.S. Once the lease expired, the hospital asked GE Capital to consider donating the beds instead of selling them through typical remarketing channels. GE agreed and the hospital brought in MedShare, an organization they work with to recycle their surplus medical supplies and equipment. Hill-Rom refurbished the beds and provided new mattresses. They also shipped the beds from their facility in Indiana to MedShare’s distribution center in Atlanta. Through a grant from The UPS Foundation, MedShare’s cost of shipping the container to Haiti will be covered.

To those of you that were able to celebrate with us, thank you so much for sharing this special day with us! Your support is appreciated and each one of you had a hand in making this shipment possible. To our friends who were unable to attend, we hope to see you at the 1000th container party!